Polyol-mediated synthesis of single-crystal tellurium nanowires directly from polycrystalline powder

Single-crystal trigonal tellurium (t-Te) nanowires were successfully synthesized by the direct transformation of polycrystalline powder via a convenient polyol-mediated route. These nanowires have an average diameter of 80 nm and lengths up to tens of micrometers. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image and the selected-area electron-diffraction pattern reveal that the as-obtained tellurium nanowires are single crystalline with a growth direction of [001]. The mechanism of this transformation perhaps follows the dissolution–recrystallization mechanism. PACS 61.10.Nz; 61.82.Rx; 68.37.Lp; 73.61.Cw